Edge-joined sheet material



March 31, 1970 G. H. BEGUIN" 3,503,172

EDGE-JOINED SHEET MATERIAL Filed Jan. 29, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 fivrzn rwe 6/1. EEET Esau/N March 31, 1970 e. H. BEGUIN EDGE-JOINED SHEET MATERIAL 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 29, 1968 United States Patent U.S. Cl. 52434 1 Claim ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A connection for sheet material to a tubular member in which the edge of the sheet material is placed in the internal void of a hollow thin-walled member through a longitudinal passage of said member and in which this internal void is filled up with a binding mass. The invention is especially useful for constructing lightweight roofs.

The present invention has for its object a method of connecting a sheet material to a tubular member, particularly to a member having a hollow open cross-section, in order to make any kind of assemblies and constructions or to stiffen and strengthen the sheet material. The invention has further for its object a device obtained by this method.

There are different types of connections, particularly in metal construction, enabling the fixing of sheet-metal or strip-metal to a structural shape. These connections are made by rivets, bolts, spot-welds or seam-welds. Gluing is also used, especially in aeronautical construction.

Except the gluing, which is applicable only in certain particular cases, all these connection systems give rise to stress concentrations, due either to the localization of the connection or to thermal stresses, thus causing weak points in the finished construction.

In the case of welded connections, internal stresses appear frequently, causing distortions in the finished construction.

Gluing requires a careful cleaning of the surfaces to be joined and often a subsequent curing above room temperature, thus limiting the use of glued joints to units produced in the shop and leading to a high net cost. For gluing it is necessary that th surfaces to be assembled be parallel or approximately parallel and further that the distance separating the surfaces be small, generally smaller than the thickness of one of the sheet materials to be assembled. In fact, the strength of a glued joint decreases as the glue-line thickness increases.

Mechanical connections are also known in which the configurations of two elements co-operate mechanically to maintain these elements together. Between the assembled parts there is direct contact along a bearing surface; and in certain cases an optional filling mass may be used to obturate the clearance outside the bearing surface between the parts to be assembled.

The aim of the present invention is to realize a method of connection tending to remedy the indicated drawbacks, and which does not cause any deformation of the assembled parts and which can be readily applied at a building site.

The method, according to the invention, for the connection of sheet material to a tubular member is characterized by the fact that one introduces the edge of at least one sheet of material into a member of hollow open cross-section presenting a longitudinal slit, and that one places in the hollow void of the cross-section a hardenable binding mass which fills it completely, so that after hardening of this binding mass the member and the sheet material are rigidly bound one to the other.

The device obtained by the method according to the invention comprises a member with a hollow cross-section presenting at least one longitudinal slit inside which the edge of at least one sheet of material is inserted through said slit, these elements being fastened together by means of a binding compound filling completely the hollow space of the cross-section.

The invention is particularly useful in the application of the method to the construction of roofing elements.

The attached drawings show schematically, and by way of example, various embodiments of the connection according to the invention.

FIGURES 1 to 10 show different embodiments of the connection.

FIGURE 11 is an elevation view of a lightweight roof.

FIGURE 12 is a cross-section along line C-C of FIGURE 11.

FIGURES 13a, 11 and c show some sections of sheet elements used for roofs.

The connection method of the present invention consists in placing the edge of a sheet of material within the hollow open void of a member and in filling this void with a binding mass which, in hardening, binds firmly this member to the sheet material.

By a member with a hollow open cross-section, one should understand any rectilinear or curved thin-walled bar presenting in its cross-section a hollow void connected by means of at least one passage to the space outside of this member.

This tubular member may, for example, be provided by the juxtaposition of two elements fastened together at various points by a mechanical connection, or by a mechanical forming of the member with open cross-section.

By plane, concave or convex sheet material, one should understand any sheet of metal or other material, strip or other panel, the thickness of which is small in comparison with its surface.

The binding mass can be a mortar, a polymerizable synthetic mass, or, in a general way, any hardenable material. This binding mass can be a homogenous or heterogeneous material. In this latter case it could be made of pieces of solid material which are joined together by an adequate binder.

The edge of the sheet material can be inserted into the thin-walled bar by a motion in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the member, in which case the binding mass is introduced subsequently into the internal void of the member through one end of it.

In another variant, the edge of the sheet material is first introduced into the member with open crosssection, then, the necessary quantity of binding mass or of binding compound is set in place, then one part of the member is mechanically deformed, for example one or both lips of the thin-walled bar are mechanically bent, or a closurefold is made, and the transverse cross-section of the member obtains thus its final shape.

In another variant, only a fraction of the necessary amount of binding mass is used for a first filling of the member with open cross-section, then the edge of the sheet is set in place, a second and last filling of the cross section is made with the rest of the binding mass, then the thin-walled bar is deformed mechanically, for example the lip or the lips of the thin-walled bar are bent, or the closure-fold of the cross-section of the member is made, thus giving to the member its final transverse cross section.

In another variant, the insertion of the edge of the sheet material within the thin-walled bar may be done progressively in the longitudinal direction of the member, that is to say through a relative displacement of the bar and of the sheet in the direction of the edge of this sheet; in this case the binding mass may be introduced simultaneously with the sheet into the hollow space of the bar cross-section.

In a further variant, the binding compound may be first laid into the hollow cross-section, then the edge of the sheet is driven into the binding mass through the slit of the member, either longitudinally or transversally.

It is evident that, depending on the shape of the bar cross-section, one may fix thereto by means of the described method one, two or several sheets of material.

The tubular member may be curved provided that the curve described by the slit or by the passage of said member corresponds to the curve described by the edge of the sheet material to be assembled to the thin-walled bar.

The members and the sheet material can be of metal, plastic material, Wood, fibrous material or any other material. The sheet metal may be transparent, translucent, opaque, colored or not, and may present corrugations or any other formations tending to strengthen it mechanically.

One may fix on two or several edges of a panel of sheet material a tubular member according to the described method in order to obtain a stiffening of this panel.

Further, the described method may include additional operations such as:

(a) The preparation of the surface of the border of the sheet material before its introduction into the tubular member. Such a preparation may consist of a mechanical cleaning or of a chemical pickling, in order to obtain a better adhesion of the binding compound to the border of this sheet.

(b) The mechanical forming of the border of the sheet material, which may be a folding along the edge, a cutting followed by bending in order to make ears, the formation of projections by local stretching of the material of the sheet, by embossing or punching, the provision of holes along the border of the sheet, etc. These mechanical formations are also provided in order to increase the adhesion of the border of the sheet to the binding compound.

(c) The border of the sheet may be surface-treated or may receive a coating forming an adherent film increasing the bond of the binding mass to the sheet material.

The assembly obtained by means of the described method will now be illustrated by some preferred embodiments given as non-restrictive examples.

FIGURE 1 shows a thin-walled member 1 of hollow open cross-section having a rectangular shape. The internal void of this member is connected to the space surrounding it by a passage 3 through which the edge 4 of a sheet material 5 is introduced. The internal void is completely filled up with a mass of binding compound 2 which, when hardened, connects tightly the member 1 to the sheet material 5. In this embodiment, the member 1 presents a longitudinal strip or rib 6 permitting securing it to another construction element for example.

FIGURE 2. shows a hollow thin-walled bar of circular transverse cross-section the internal void of which is connected to the outside space by a passage 3. The edge of the sheet material 5 is introduced within the member through this passage 3. The edge 4 has cuttings or ears 7 projecting alternately on each side of the sheet, out of the plane of the sheet material in order to insure a better securing of the edge 4 in the binding mass 2 filling the inside of the hollow member 1.

FIGURE 3 shows a thin-walled member 1 of oval cross-section the internal void of which communicates with the outside space by a passage 3. The edge 4 of the sheet material 5 within the hollow member presents bulges 8 protruding on either side of the plane of this sheet material. In this embodiment, the member 1 presents two flanges or ribs 9, 10 enabling it to be assembled by conventional means to a metal structure, for example.

In the embodiment shown in FIGURE 4, the member 1 is part of structure for example a metal structure 11, and the internal space of this hollow member presents a passage 3 to the outside. The edge 4 of the sheet material 5 has longitudinal bends so that its transverse cross-section has the shape of a bent line 12. This corrugating of the edge 4 enables good securement of the sheet material 5 in the binding mass 2 filling the member 1.

FIGURE 5' shows an embodiment featuring a doublebox thin-walled bar 13 each void of which, separated by a partition 14, is connected to the outside space by a passage 15, 16 respectively. The edge 17, 18 respectively of sheet material 19, 29 respectively, is introduced through this passage 15, 16 respectively in one of the hollow spaces of the double-box tubular member 13. The edges 17, 18 of the sheet material are bent at right angles to insure a good anchoring in the binding compounds 2 filling each of the cavities of the double-box member 13. This embodiment permits the rigid connection of two sheets located in the same plane.

FIGURE 6 shows also a double-cavity thin-Walled member 13 having a transverse cross-section having the external shape of an oval the two internal voids of which are separated by a wall 14. This hollow member 13 comprises two passages 15, 16 adjacent to one end of the wall 14. The edges 17, 18 of two sheets 19, 20 are each inserted through one passage into the cavities of the double-cavity member. These edges are curved back at 180 to insure a good anchorage of these edges in the binding masses 2. This configuration permits the connection of two parallel sheets to the same tubular member.

FIGURE 7 shows two tubular members 1 having a face 21 slanted at an angle of 45 with respect to the two adjacent faces. The faces 21 of each member are fastened together by welding or gluing in order to produce a double-cavity member with parts angled at Each of the thin-walled members 1 comprises a passage 3 through which the edge 4 of a sheet of material 5 is engaged. The edge 4 is folded in zigzag in order to achieve a better anchoring in the mass 2 filling the void of the corresponding cross-sections.

FIGURE 8 shows a tubular member 1 of square crosssection presenting a passage 3 located in a diagonal plane. The edge 4 of a sheet 5 is inserted within the hollow member 1 through this passage and presents holes 22 to improve the anchoring of this edge 4 in the binding mass 2.

FIGURE 9 shows a variant of the embodiment shown in FIGURE 2 in which two sheets 5, 5' are parallel to each other over at least a portion of their width, and are introduced into the hollow member 1 through the passage 3. The edges 4 of these sheets are bent at 90 to improve their anchoring in the binding compound 2.

The free part of the sheets 5, 5' may form an angle between them as shown.

Lastly, FIGURE 10 shows a tubular member 1 the transverse cross-section of which has the general shape of an S, provided with two passages 3, 3' intended to give each passage to one sheet 5, 5' respectively. As indicated above, the invention is particularly useful for constructing roofing elements. This is schematically shown in FIGURES 12 to 14. Posts p support curved roofing sheets e connected at each of their free edges with tubular members 1. One roofing element, of a convenient shape, and shown by way of example in FIG- URES 13a, b and c, is connected at its edges to the corresponding tubular members 1 by means of a binding mass.

The tubular member assembled to the sheet by the described method enables the easy fastening of this sheet or roofing element to the supporting structure.

I claim:

1. A structural assembly comprising a one-piece metal tubular member of uniform cross-sectional configuration throughout its length, said configuration being S-shaped and comprising a pair of oppositely extending arms interconnected by a midportion that comprises a common partition between a pair of adjacent hollow tubular recesses encompassed by said arms, said arms of said S- shaped configuration terminating in free ends that extend toward but terminate short of said partition thereby to define between said free ends and said partition 21 pair of oppositely opening slots one opening into each of said tubular recesses, the width of said tubular recesses being substantially greater than the width of said slots, a pair of thin deformable sheets each having a margin disposed in a said tubular recess and extending out through the associated slot in opposite directions away from said tubular member, and a hardened mass of binding material disposed in and entirely filling the space within each said tubular recess and having a substantial amount of said binding mass disposed on opposite sides of said margin of each sheet, said binding mass adhering rigidly to the internal side walls of said tubular member and to said opposite sides of said margins of said sheets and being enclosed on all sides by said tubular member and rigidly securing said sheet margins to said tubular member through a continuous bond.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 358,405 2/1887 Nehaus 52470 417,757 12/1889 Turnbull 52966 419,512 11/1890 Faulhaber 52466 716,729 12/ 1902 Macphail 52627 1,187,853 6/1916 Look 52-624 1,563,598 12/1925 Wakeman 52495 1,686,809 10/1928 Gran 52495 2,396,257 3/1946 Fould 52497 2,753,962 7/1956 McBerty 52495 3,075,802 1/1963 Lowe 52588 3,254,462 6/1966 Toler 52222 FOREIGN PATENTS 121,291 1946 Australia.

HENRY C. SUTHERLAND, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 52222, 495 

